Chater 62

Nicole joined the Queen at the front, leaving a respectful amount of space between them. She cleared her throat with a cough before speaking.

"Welcome. Some of you already approached me earlier, but for those who didn't — my name is Nicole. I am a human and don't belong to any tribe. More than that, I am not from this island. I come from a place called Earth, a place vastly different from this one. As Her Majesty mentioned, the food you can see and taste was made in the image of the cuisine from my homeland. I hope everyone will find something to their taste. Now, let me show you something."

At her words, the side doors opened and a tall Bee brought in the black fortepiano. On Queen Varoria's stoic, expressionless face appeared a small, knowing smirk. Meanwhile, the gathered guests whispered among themselves.

Alright, I haven't practiced this in secret just to fuck up at the most important moment.

"This piece is called Hopes and Dreams and was composed by a great composer from Earth."

Nicole sat down, took a breath, and started playing. Her fingers flew across the keys as the sound filled the otherwise silent room. When she reached the most intense part, a drop of sweat rolled down her forehead. By the end, her fingers were aching, but she finished the song without a single mistake. When the last keys were pressed and the final chord died out, Nicole stood up.

"Allow me to say just one last thing. To the representatives of the different tribes — in one and a half weeks from now, I will be free to work for hire."

With that, she left the front of the room, joining her friends and Annie again.

"Hell, that was insane! Good job," Annie whispered, barely audible. "Though really, you had to play that song?! You want to make me start crying over it or what?"

The Queen frowned slightly at Nicole's last words, but soon any trace of emotion disappeared from her face.

"Now, let us all enjoy the evening."

Her words broke the tension of formality, and the guests soon returned to talking and tasting the exotic food, with Nicole becoming the topic of conversation most of the time.

Nicole half-expected to be immediately surrounded by people, but when she turned around, she found Jerar standing behind her. As usual, he was wearing his armor.

"Oh, hey. Long time no see."

"Her Majesty Lortia said you two met. And that you were supposed to make her new clothes for tonight. She sent me to get them."

"Right. Makes sense she hasn't appeared yet, hm?" Nicole reached into her storage and handed the man a leather parcel. "Here it is."

With a nod and the item in hand, Jerar turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Strange. He is so cold now.

Among the guests, Nicole noticed a familiar brown, bushy tail. Since Soi had disappeared somewhere, Nicole took Annie with her. Merik was currently talking to a short man in a suit seemingly sewn from gold. When they approached, the squirrel man finished and turned his attention to the girls.

"Hello, Nicole. I would ask how you are, but it seems you're doing quite well, eh?" He smiled. "And you are Annie, I take it?"

"Hi. It seems you already know about me." The girl in the wheelchair responded, shaking his hand.

"Annie, this is Merik. Think of him as an information gatherer and a journalist," Nicole explained quickly. "He helped me locate you."

"A journalist? What's that?" the man asked.

"Forget it, just a term from Earth." Nicole dismissed the topic.

"By the way, the food is really interesting!" Merik chuckled as he grabbed a piece of meat pie from a nearby table.

"Yeah, thanks. It took a while to find replacements for some of the original ingredients. By the way, good thing I found you here. I was thinking of writing a cookbook and some other stuff later on, and I may need someone to help me distribute it. Your connections could prove useful."

The man scratched his chin, grinning.

"Sure. We can talk about the payment and other details later, when you have everything ready. I will be wai—"

Before he could finish, the main entrance doors violently slammed open with a loud thud. When everyone turned to look, three people stood there. In the middle was the Narakai Queen, her metal-enhanced high-heeled leather boot slowly lowering back to the ground after kicking the door open. Confidently, she strolled forward as if waiting to see whether anyone would dare object to the way she entered. At her sides were Jerar and Cira in full armor.

Lortia herself was wearing a black metallic chestplate that stopped at the woman's midriff, leaving her toned stomach exposed. Lower, around her hips, was a skirt made out of iron sheaths, all connected by crimson-red cloth underneath. The sheaths were filled with Lortia's beloved daggers. Her arms were fully encased in armor, save for her hands. Golden rings on her fingers connected to the mantle on her back, the same red color as the cloth. Heavy, spiked boots completed the outfit, leaving everyone impressed, terrified, or both. Lortia was smirking, her black eyes darting from face to face as if she were choosing her prey.

The moment her blond-furred wolf ears caught a whisper in the crowd and twitched, she stopped and lazily turned toward the source of the sound.

"Have anything to say?" she asked, addressing no one in particular.

The group of girls that had caught her attention rapidly shook their heads, eyes wide with panic.

"Good."

Lortia continued onward, approaching Queen Varoria and exchanging words too quiet for anyone else to hear. Her two followers silently stood behind her.

With the Killer Queen absorbed in conversation, the mood slowly began to relax again. Within a few minutes, the chatter in the room was no different from before Lortia had interrupted it.

Seeing the imposing woman clearly pleased with the new armor, Nicole relaxed a little.

Phew. Now I just have to wait for her to rate the food.

When she turned back to her companions, Merik was already gone. She spotted him a few tables away, talking to someone else.

As time passed, the girls were approached by many guests. Most talked about the food and the fortepiano and invited Nicole to visit their tribes and homes. Some even asked whether she would like to move into guest rooms, but for now Nicole politely declined the offers.

At one point, Annie looked up at Nicole.

"Can we go talk with the Bee Queen?"

Nicole glanced around the room and found the woman at one of the tables, but before they could approach, Nicole felt someone else's eyes on her. Lortia and her companions were coming their way. The leader of the Narakai tribe stopped in front of her with a big, toothy smirk.

"Good job, human girl!" Lortia looked down at her outfit. "I like this one. It has everything I asked for. And the party is great too, though I prefer them a bit more… wild. With blood, sweat, and other juices, haha! Anyway, here."

She handed Nicole a small folded piece of paper.

"A written permission to keep both your Krellip and your head." She lowered her voice, leaning forward. "Something that has never happened before. But with my signature on it, you shouldn't have any more trouble regarding it."

Lortia sighed dramatically.

"I underestimated you. I shouldn't have promised anything so quickly. Now I'll have to find another way to get you to our great city of Marakora."

The woman licked her lips predatorily but said nothing more as she walked past Nicole. Then, when she was next to the girl, she placed a hand on Nicole's shoulder.

"I haven't been there, but I heard the music. I may not look like it, but that's my third favorite thing, right after battles and sex. And about the latter — three hours from now, second guest room in the right wing."

Without elaborating, she left Nicole and the others alone.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Did she really...?

"Damn, Nicole, getting invited by royalty?" Annie teased with a smile. "I know back on Earth I tried to pull you out of the chaotic sex life, but here — and especially now — I almost envy you."

The girl in the wheelchair giggled.

"Oh, shut up. I'm not sure I'll survive the night if I go there. And I'm not even sure whether that was an invitation or an order." Nicole brushed it off. "You wanted to go meet Queen Varoria? Let's go."

The Queen had just finished talking with someone when the girls quietly approached.

"Your Majesty, this is my friend Annie," Nicole introduced her.

Annie bowed her head politely.

"Good to meet you, Your Majesty. I am thankful for your and your people's help. If not for you, I would still be rotting in that Zanokai village."

The woman assessed the girl, her eyes lingering on the wheelchair for a few moments longer.

"Nicole made it sound as though it was worth the trouble. If you truly are grateful, you should show it through your actions. I was assured you possess much more valuable information and knowledge than your friend."

"Right. Though, as you can see, I have trouble moving around, I promise to try and help your tribe thrive. And that's actually why I wanted to meet you personally. I think I have an interesting idea."

Hm? She never mentioned that earlier.

The Queen's eyebrow arched slightly.

"Truly? Share it with us, then."

Annie's eyes sparkled.

"I may simply not know something, but to me it seems like all the tribes on the island share one common problem — the forests are wild and dangerous. Monsters of various forms lurk in the shadows. Of course, everyone keeps their guard up, but how often have you thought your options were limited because of what lives in the wilderness?"

The girl smirked.

"All you need is one more specific building in your city and a handful of people to run it. The idea is simple — pay for dead monsters. Pay who?" Annie made a dramatic pause, licking her lips. "I see that the island is filled with strong people. A few coins, and their strength will be directed toward the monsters. Additionally, you — or anyone with deep enough pockets — could request specific monsters to be hunted or any other tasks done. Merchants could come there to easily find mercenaries to guard them during their travels."

She leaned forward excitedly.

"And those mercenaries should be called something, right? What about... adventurers? Since they go on all sorts of adventures. And the tasks could be called, hm…"

Let me guess — quests?

"I know! Quests!" Annie continued. "What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Varoria sipped her tea.

"Your proposition is to create a place where these… adventurers gather and take jobs hunting monsters or helping people in exchange for money?"

Annie nodded rapidly.

"Exactly! Oh, and they could form groups there for easier hunts. And before you ask where the money would come from — think about this. They bring back dead monsters. That means raw materials: meat, bones, skin, and more. There is always something useful in them, right? Calculate how much a dead monster is worth to you, then subtract a portion, and that becomes the reward. The remaining profit can go toward the tribe's other needs!"

"This is indeed a clever system." The Queen nodded once, slowly. "Fine. I will remember this and consult a few ministers before making a decision."

Annie's eyes widened with joy.

"Yes!" she shouted excitedly, drawing the attention of nearby tables. She coughed into her fist, calming down before repeating more quietly, "I-I mean, yes. I understand. Nicole, let's go. Have a nice evening, Your Majesty."

Annie bowed her head again as the girls left.

When they got far enough away, Nicole chuckled.

"I should have expected this. With your obsession with anime and all that stuff."

"Hehe, guilty." Annie smiled.